Orchard-heating apparatus.



w. H.l UNDBRWooD. ORCHARD HEATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEUJZI, 1910.

Patented June 6,1911.

WJTNESSES ma Nomen; PE1-:Rs co1, wAsHrNcrqN, nia

WALTER H. UNDERWOOD, OF HUTCHINSON, KANSAS.

oRoHAnn-HEATTNG ArrARATUs.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1911.

Application filed December 21, 1910. Serial No. 598,572.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER H. UNDER- wooD, a citizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Hutchinson, in the county -of Reno and State ofKansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOrchard-Heating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inorchard heating apparatus, and the object of the invention is theprovision of a device of this character which is extremely simple andinexpensive in its construction, which can be readily installed in anorchard, and which embodies novel features of construction whereby itwill operate at a greatly reduced amount of labor over any other pot inexistence and operate more efficiently than any pot now in existence,and also operate with a steady iame whereas with the other pots theflame isv reduced as they burn down.

A further object of the invention is the provision of lan orchard heaterwhich is so constructed as to burn steadily and give off a uniformamount of heat as long as there is any fuel in the reservoir, withoutthe necessity of any attention to the device after it has once beenstarted.

The invention still further contemplates an orchard heater which willburn a veryk heavy and low grade oil without danger ofv any'of the partsbecoming clogged so as to check the flow of oil and prevent theJnecessary amount of oil reaching the burner.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an orchard heatercomprising extremely few and durable parts which are designed in such amanner that they can be readily assembled for use or taken apart andpacked in a small amount of space for storage or shipment.

With these and otherobjects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts, hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out inthe claims hereto appended; it being understood'that various changes inthe form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within thescope of the claims,` maybe resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrilioing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing which shows asectional-view of an orchard heating apparatus constructed in accordancewith the present invention.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the samelreference characters.

Specifically describing theV present embodiment of the invention, thenumeral l designates the burner .pan which preferably has a flat andshallow formation and within which the oil or fuel is burned. A pipe 2leads from a supply pan 3 to the burner pan, the extremities of the saidpipe preferably projecting through the sides of the said pans and beingthreaded for the reception of the clamping nuts 1l which serve to retainthe pipe securely in engagement with the pans when the device is inoperation. However, by loosening the outermost nuts, the pipe can bedetached vfrom the pans and the various parts packed in a very smallamount of space for shipment or storage. Both the burner pan l and thesupply pan 3 are arranged on substantially the same level so that oilwill fiow through the pipe 2 into` the burner pan by the action ofgravity. The oil or liquid fuel is maintained at a constant level withinthe-supply pan 3 by means of an inverted reservoir 5 which has the lowerend thereof received within the pan and acts-as a fountain to supply oilthereto. A number of openings 6 are formed in the sides ofthe invertedreservoir 5 at a point toward-the bottom thereof, the said openingsbeing arranged below the top of the sides of the supply pan 3. As longas the level of the oil within the supply pan is above the openings 6,the oil will be retained within the inverted reservoir by atmosphericpressure, but as soon as the level of the oil` within the supply panfalls below the top of the openings 6, air will enter the inverted.reservoir through the said openings and oil will flow from thereservoir into the supply pan until the level of the oil within the saidsupply pan again rises above the openings 6. In this manner, the oilwithin the supply pan is maintained automatically at a fixed level aslong as any oil remains in the reservoir. The reservoir is shown ashaving a tapered formation and as surrounded toward the lower endthereof with a downwardly inclined annularflange 7 which projects overthe sides of the supply pan 3 and acts as a water shed to prevent rainor moisture from reaching the oil within the pan. This flange 7 mayeither be integral with the reservoir or in the nature of a removablering which is slipped over the tapered end of the reservoir andfrictionally engages the same. A removable cover 8 is provided for theburner pan l, the said cover serving both as a means for extinguishingthe flame and also as a cover to prevent rain or the like from reachingthe interior. of the pan and contaminating the oil therein.

In the use of the device, the reservoir is filled with oil when in anupright position and inverted after the supply pan 3 has been applied tothe open end thereof. After the reservoir has been inverted, a constantlevel of oil will be maintained within the supply pan, and this oil willflow through the pipe 2 so as to also maintain a constant level of oilwithin the burner pan 1. It will be obvious, that as long as the deviceis in operation the burner will give oif a uniform amount of heat, sincethere is always the same amount of oil in the burner pan and the surfaceof the oil is always the same distance from the top of the pan. This isa very material advantage over those orchard heaters in which the oil isburned in a receptacle or pot where the surface of the oil is lowered asthe oil is consumed. With this type of heater, the flame graduallybecomes smaller as the oil is consumed, and the amount of heat radiatedgradually decreases, while the temperature of the atmosphere isconstantly becoming lower so that there is a demand for a greater ratherthan a less amount of heat. Attention is also directed to the fact thatwith the present device no valve is necessary to regulate the flow ofoil from the reservoir to the burning pan, since this flow cf oilautomatically regulates itself after the burner has once been started.This is a very advantageous feature, since it eliminates the necessityof visiting the heater at intervals throughout the night to see that theoil is feeding properly, and also enables a heavier and lower grade ofoil to be utilized than would otherwise be possible. It has been foundimpossible to use these heavy and low grade oils in connection with avalve, since the valves are continually becoming choked up and eitherfeed too much or too little oil. Vith the present device, there are noparts which can be choked up with this heavy oil, and a constant supplythereof to the burner pan is insured without any further attention afterthe device has once been set in operation.

There an orchard heater is employed which embodies a valve, it isnecessary to keep attendants running up and down the rows to either turnolf or on the valves in order to maintain a constant flow of the oil,and where the oil is merely burned in pots, it is also necessary to keepthe operators busy filling the pots in order to maintain the surface ofthe oil at the top thereof, since as soon as the surface of the oil islowered within the pots, the supply of air to the oil is decreased andthe flame lowered so as to render the heater ineffective. Tith thepresent device there is no valve to require a constant attention, andyet the oil is always maintained at the saine level within the burner.The necessity of constant attention to the burner throughout the nightis thereby avoided, since as long as there is any oil in the reservoir,the burner will maintain a constant iiame and give forth a uniformamount of heat. This is a very important feature, since it greatlyreduces the expense incident to operating the burner, and alsoeliminates the possibility of the burner becoming low and ineffective ata critical time during the night. In other words, it is the broad ideaof an orchard heater which is constructed without a valve and in whichthe oil is fed to the burner from a reservoir and is automaticallymaintained at a certain level within the burner that is the essence ofthe present invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an orchard heater, the combination of a supply pan, an invertedliquid fuel reservoir resting directly upon the bottom of the supply panand provided at a point within the said supply pan with a lateralopening whereby the liquid fuel is automatically maintained at aconstant level within the supply pan, a burner pan arranged onsubstantially the same level with the supply pan and adapted to have thefuel burned directly therein, and a pipe establishing communicationbetween the supply pan and the burner pan.

2. In an orchard heater', the combination of a supply pan, a burner panarranged on substantially the same level as the supply pan and adaptedto have liquid fuel burned directly therein, a pipe connecting thesupply pan and burner pan and extending through openings in the sidesthereof, the ends of the pipe being threaded, nuts'applied to thethreaded ends of the pipe for clamping the burner pan and supply panthereto, and an inverted reservoir applied to the supply pan andconstructed to automatieally maintain the fuel at a fixed level therein.

3. In an orchardheating apparatus, the combination of a supply pan, aninverted liquid fuel reservoir resting directly upon the bottom of thesupply pan and provided at a point within the supply pan with a lateralOpening whereby the liquid fuel is automatically maintained at a fixedlevel within the supply pan, a burner pan arranged on substantially thesame level as the supply pan and adapted to have the liquid fuel burneddirectly therein, a pipe connecting the supply pan to the burner pan,and a downwardly inclined annular flange surrounding the liquid fuelreservoir and projecting over the sides of the supply pan.

4f. In an orchard heater, the combination of a supply pan, an invertedliquid 'fuel reservoir resting removably upon the bottom of the supplypan and provided at a point within the said supply pan with a lateralopening whereby liquid fuel is automatically maintained at a constantlevel within the supply pan, the said liquid fuel 15 reservoir having atapered formation, -a ange fitted upon the tapered sides of thereservoirand projecting over the sides of the supply pan, a burner pan, and apipe leading from the supply pan t0 the burner 20 pan.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

WALTER H. UNDERWOOD.

Witnesses:

ERWIN W. MOORE, ARTHUR GALLOWAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

